As the race to Pesach intensifies, so does the frantic search for and desperate reliance on quality cleaning help. LCSW would like to remind and warn residents who hire help, male or female, during this hectic time of year to remain on guard and vigilant. Unfortunately, we’ve seen many instances where hired help left alone, whether for a few moments or a few hours, took the opportunity to pilfer cash or valuable items from unknowing employers. Of course, most of the workers you hire will be honest and upright and we don’t mean to cast aspersions on anyone but it pays to be careful so that you don’t become a victim of theft.

Don’t leave valuables in obvious places and make sure to hide them well. Get as much identifying information as possible from a prospective employee, including a name, phone number, even a photo if you can take one without intimidating or aggravating the worker. Aside from the fact that such information will make it infinitely easier for law enforcement to track down a perpetrator once a crime is committed, it also has preventative benefits in that it he or she will be far less likely to commit a crime knowing that you have that information and/ or photograph. Don’t leave hired help alone in the home, providing even a generally trustworthy employee with a temptation that may prove impossible to resist.

Don’t let hired help in on your plans to go away for Yom Tov or any extended period of time as that leaves your home vulnerable to a home invasion while you are gone.
The key is to remain vigilant and not to allow your desperation for assistance during what can be a stressful time of year to override your sensibilities and better judgment. Bear in mind always that a good worker is not necessarily an honest one, and a clean home is not worth the anguish of a cleaned out home.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)